Knoxville, Tennessee, is a nature-loving, adventurous, and artsy city with lots of fun things to do. Downtown, Old Town, World Fair Park, and the UT campus are all easily walkable and packed together like a delicious urban sandwich.
Just south of town is the Tennessee River and then South Knoxville Urban Wildlife Park, which includes five parks, 60 miles of trails, and a 600-acre wildlife area. In between, there's live music, romantic hotels, delicious food, colorful galleries, public art, and friendly people.
Whether you're a nature lover, looking for adventure, or a little bit of art, this is your city! If you're all three, it's win, win, win!
Mountain bike the Baker Creek Trail system
The Baker Creek Trail system is a great example of great biking opportunities throughout the South Knoxville Urban Wilderness Area, with a dedicated bike park, a brand-new pavilion, and loop rides for every skill level.
There is, too Bear Paw Bikes For rentals and anything else you might need for your trip, Crafty Bastard Brewery To quench your post-ride thirst, and 71 South Provides you with delicious food from a converted church adjacent to the bike park. It's an amazing one-stop bike, but it doesn't have to stop there.
Urban Wilderness features well-maintained, purposefully constructed trails extending in all directions with enough riding for an entire weekend of fun on two wheels. I'd love to go back and write a detailed guide with photos and full descriptions, but my trip notes will suffice for now. You can also double-check the trails on Trailforks for current trail conditions.
Hike in the Urban Wilderness – Ijams Nature Centre
If hiking is your jam, you'll be a fan of Ijams. Like any good trip, you start with a plan, but don't worry; I'm your ijams plan man.
Ijams is a 318-acre urban green space divided into two parts by Island Home Road: Quarryside And River side.
The Ijams Nature Center is located in the Riverside section and has restrooms, snacks, and some exhibits. You can also pay the $5 daily parking fee there or online at the parking lot. One of the most popular excursions in the area is River/Tower Path Loopwhich is just over a mile long with great views of the Tennessee River from the River Walk.
Continue to Ijams Quarryside
Most, but not all, of Quarryside's trails are open to bikers and hikers. There are two notable exceptions to hiking only Rock Bridge Path to keyhole And Tharps effect/pink marblewhich sails around Meads Quarry.
Keyhole is an old marble quarry with impressive rock features and is located about a half mile down the Imerys Trail. It's a great combination for exploring Meads Quarry, either by the trail, by the water or both.
Make a splash at Mead Quarry
There's no better way to cool off after hiking the Ijams than playing at Mead Quarry. There is a swimming area and kayak/SUP rentals from River sports equipment suppliers.
Calm down at augusta quarry
Augusta Quarry in Fort Dickerson Park It is another favorite local swimming hole. It is currently (2024) undergoing a $3.6 million improvement project to add restrooms, a new overlook, a renovated pedestrian path, and new floating beach and swimming platforms. You can follow this link for construction updates, but the upper entrance with overlook access is now open.
Zip down Navitat at night
Navitat is a zip line/ropes course within Ijams. Some of the signage confused us at first, but check-in is next to the Ijams Welcome Center. In total, there are six paths (adventure paths) in the forest. Each adventure trail consists of 8 to 12 elements, including ziplines, bridges, swings, nets, climbing and more. The easy trails are easy enough for anyone, but progressing higher even the most enthusiastic and fit adventurer will feel challenged.
If you're ready for a bigger challenge with a magical atmosphere, give it a try Navitas at night. Some lights are strung across the trees, but you'll still feel those butterflies in your stomach as you rush into relative darkness.
Cycle on green roads
The riverfront, UT campus, and downtown are highly bikeable, and there are a group of short green trails that can be linked together for a 20-plus mile ride.
We took this trip and loved wandering through World's Fair Park, along the riverbank, and around the old homes in Sequoyah Hills. Some of the connections weren't intuitive, so we had to do some route research, and there were definitely some hills in Sequoyah Hills that would give you a run for your money. Plaid apron Pit stops.
Tennessee River Kayak
Another way to get some great views on the river is to rent a kayak or SUP from them Knoxville Adventure CollectiveYou can paddle from the store to enjoy views of downtown, or they can arrange custom shuttles down the river. They even rent bikes if you’re looking for a new set of wheels to experience the greenways.
Explore the Old Town's galleries
Old Town is a very creative neighborhood located around an old train depot. It's also a sneaky way to find free parking for a day of exploring downtown. It is also home to Artistic tour on the first Fridaya block party, a parade at the party fair, and a thoroughly enjoyable time.
Notable companies include:
- RALA – Gifts + Local Arts: Home of the best “Dolly” art in town
- Emporium Center/Alliance of Arts and Culture: Five galleries in one
- University of Texas Downtown Gallery: A contemporary art gallery displaying professional works
- Buzz beer company: Probably the only place in the world where beer and beer mugs are made on site
- Hot dogs and exotic sandwiches: More than 30 types of sausages
All hail to the beer road
Pretentious Beer Company is one of many breweries in Old Town. Other watering holes included Xul, Cunning Bastard, next levelLand Gypsy circus. Go a little further and you will find Hello wire And Schultz Brau, Knoxville's first beer garden located in a German castle. You might think there should be a beer trail in Knoxville, and you'd be right. Follow the link and log in to win prizes.
gallivant down gay street
Gay Street runs through the heart of the city. It was on the original 1791 plan of Knoxville and the city's first paved street. If you download the Visit Knoxville walking tour, it will take you down Gay Street from the Visitor Center to… Blount Palace, birthplace of Tennessee. Along the way, you can stop for ice cream at Cruz farmstop at East Tennessee Historical Society and MuseumOr take a photo of the historic Tennessee Theater.
Find your inspiration at the museum.
The Blunt Mansion and the Tennessee Historical Society are just two of Knoxville's museums. Other notable museums are:
- Women's Basketball Hall of Fame -The only one of its kind in the world!
- Candoro Marble Building – Find out why Knoxville is the “Marble City”
- McClung Museum of Culture and History – Learn about the communities that call East Tennessee home
Enjoy the market square
Your walking tour can return in the city center along Market Street, which ends at the pedestrian-only Market Square, home to Market Square Farmers Market On Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons in season.
Make sure to log in Yassin Falafel Housewas once called the most beautiful, authentic place in America French Market Creperie.And of course, you'll notice the statues in Croce Park.
Surprise yourself in the powerful alley
The strong alley lies between them. market And Gay streets. If you're not looking, you might not notice it, but you'll miss it. It's a 500-foot-long graffiti gallery filled with larger-than-life works. Megan Lingerfelt's stunning Dolly Parton mural is a local favorite, but there's art for everyone at Strong Alley.
Try the special blue dish
Before you leave downtown (or perhaps as a reason to come), you owe it to yourself to experience The WDVX Special Blue Plate®. It's a live radio show on Knoxville Visitor Center (Or on Friday in Barley's Pub and Pizza). Besides being live local music, the production quality is remarkably good since it's also a radio broadcast.
Wonder World Fair Park
World's Fair Park is the former fairgrounds for the 1982 World's Fair hosted in Knoxville. It's home to Sunsphere (which was closed when we visited) and Tennessee Coliseum, the two remaining structures from the gallery. It's also home to a family-friendly splash pad. Even if you don't climb the Sunsphere, it's still a great place to walk, relax and see how many unique ways you can photograph this iconic building.
Feed the 'gram.
We've already introduced you to Knoxville's street art, distinctive architecture, sweeping nature scenes, and sculpture parks. If that's not enough to feed the gram, I have another idea. We can put the best photographs on an interactive map to make it easier.
Relax on the roof
radius bar on surface Intended for anyone who thinks the phrase “over the top, click, click, click” is about photography. I'm not someone who says no to an espresso martini, but it was exceptionally good. The sunset views were great too.
It's a great way to end your nature-loving, adventure-seeking, arts-seeking day in Knoxville or for us to end our Knoxville post. Cheers, and we hope all your sunsets are amazing!
Hello! We are Jane and Ed Coleman also known as Coleman Concierge. In short, we are a 10th generation couple from Huntsville sharing our stories of amazing adventures through transformative and experiential activity-based travel.
